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Typhoon Olga flood toll at 109MANILA, The Philippines (UPI) — Philippine and U.S. Air force helicopters plucked hundreds of marooned refugees from rooftops and treetops today, rescuing them from the worst floods to hit the Philippines in four years.The death toll from floods spawned by Typhoon Olga stood at 109, according to the Philippine National Red Cross and the official Philippine News Agency. Most of dead were drowning victims.The Social Welfare Department said the floods had affected 602,000 persons, including more than 240,000 whose homes were totally or partially destroyed. Damage to agricultural crops and property was initially placed at $14 million.American authorities set up a rescue and relief center at the U.S. Clark Air Force Base, 60 miles north of Manila, in the heart of the storm-struck central Luzon plain.By late in the day, Olga had churned out to the South China Sea north of the Philippines with reduced center winds of 47 miles per hour.But rain torrents whipped by its tailwinds smashed four dikes and the huge Santo Tomos dam, 70 miles northwest of Manila, inundating 10 towns, destroying 400 houses and killing at least eight persons.Social Welfare officials said 76 of the 116 towns in central Luzon were flooded, some oi them under 20 feet of water Hundreds of panicky resident* climbed trees and perched orrooftops.The Philippine Air Force sent 20 helicopters to rescue the stranded victims. The U.S. Air Force had three helicopters flying mercy missions and a spokesman said more were expected to join the operations Thursday.UPI photographer Willy Vicoy reported that Philippine helicopters plucked 127 persons from trees and rooftops in the town of Arayat alone.Vicoy flew by helicopter overthe worst hit Pampanga province. In the town of Can-daba just 30 miles north of Manila, he said only rooftopsand television aerials could be seen poking through a sea of brown water. A bridge at Arayat town collapsed at its midsection, drowning fourpersons, he said.Floodwa ters in Central Luzon rose to an “all time high of17.85 feet, according to a flood reading at the main Pampanga River.Military authorities said the figure surpassed the 17.5 feet mark recorded at the height of the disastrous central Luzon floods in Julv and August, 1972.for 1 Coupon DINNERSI rkarhrAiIaHr~ _
Newspaper Details
Lompoc Record
Lompoc, California, US
Wed, May 26, 1976
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
John D.
USA 13 Oct 2021
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